Untitled Sequel
by Yomi
Summary: Three years after the defeat of the rebels and the Nihilists, Illumi and Hisoka are still troubled by the remnants of the terrorist organization. This time, the Nihilists are after something quite dear to them.
1. Prologue: Christmas: a time of giving

**Christmas: a time of giving**

By Yomi 

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**Author's Notes:** Oh woe is me. Only a mere 24 hours after writing that one-shot, I'm going to extend and elaborate on it and possibly make this the prologue to the sequel of Untitled. So for readers who are unfamiliar with **_Untitled_**, I suggest you read that first to not only understand the setting but to also erase any questions you might have on OOCness. After 27 Chapters plus an Epilogue, I'll be damned if Illumi and Hisoka do not develop and change and remain as they were. 

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the Hunter characters. 

Early Christmas fanfic - yes, it's early, but the candy canes are selling in supermarkets already, so why not? >D 

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"Illu, I'm home!" Hisoka banged the front door open, almost ripping it off its hinges. The living room which greeted him was an utter mess of scraps of brightly coloured cloths, thread ends and puffs of cotton stuffing. Even the television had been temporarily transformed into a part of the wall, its monitor bursting an array of yellow post-it notes of reminders and customers phone numbers. In the background, the frantic whirr of a sewing machine and the stamping of the needle could be heard over music blasting from the stereos. 

Hisoka clamped his hands around his sensitive ears and let his previously cheerful expression twist into a scowl. This was not the welcoming that he had expected. 

"Illu, I said I was home!" he shouted, wading through the treacherous canyon between mountains of designs and other paper work. The festive season bought out the worst consumerism in all people and although it meant good business for his Illumi (not that his business was never good), but it also meant that Illumi had to spend more time working than relaxing during the holidays. 

He veered off into the kitchen lest a stack of boxes topple and bury him beneath. His scowl darkened at the sight of unwashed plates lying to waste in the basin and the tap not properly turned off. He had only been away for two months this time and now the house was in ruins. Rolling up his sleeves, he stalked towards the offending sight and began to load up the washing machine with dirty cutlery. He had to scrap away the mould off the last plates at the very bottom (which looked like they'd been laying there for an entire week) and he opened up all the windows to let the stench out. 

Something brown darted across the edge of his vision and was instantly pinned to the ground by one of his play cards. 

_A rat? We have a rat infestation?!_ The magician incredulously observed, picking up the dead carcass of the animal by the tail and flung it out the window into the neighbour's backyard. 

What better method to frighten all the animals away than by showing them that a dangerous predator had settled into the territory? Hisoka grinned and released his ren, projecting it into all the nooks and crannies of the house, communicating his murderous malice and an insatiable appetite for blood and death. 

The music immediately stopped and an unnatural silence settled around the house. The soft pitter-patter of Illumi's footsteps became louder and the assassin ducked his head around the wall and found Hisoka flinging the corpses of a family of rats into their neighbour's backyard. 

"No need to stir a scene when you come home," he quietly muttered, returning to his room and work. 

Quickly finishing off with the last rat and scrubbing his hands fiercely under the water and plenty of soap, Hisoka dashed off after Illumi. He couldn't believe the lack of affection the assassin had for him. He did call to say that he was coming home right? He rang him two nights ago, so where was the splendid welcome that Illumi always arranged for him? The condition of the house was a disgrace and he suspected that the fridge would be empty since the bins were overflowing with micro-wave dinner boxes. 

"Illu? Where's my welcome home party?" 

"Not now Hisoka," Illumi sighed with a touch of exasperation, "Can't you see I have plenty of work to do?" 

"Where are my hugs and kisses?" 

Illumi slammed the pen in his hand down onto the table and got up over to Hisoka. He pressed his cold thin lips onto Hisoka's then returned to his seat. The magician whined and began pestering him for a more passionate welcome. 

"Urgh! Hisoka! I just have to get this dress done for Madame Deville's daughter in time for her Christmas party. I don't have time to fool around." 

Hisoka abruptly let go and whatever smile and pleasantries he had for Illumi dispersed in an instant. 

"If I'm a waste of your time, fine, I'm leaving. If you need to find me, I'll be in a hotel room screwing a stranger." 

Hisoka turned around and left but worriedly hung around the front door, wondering why Illumi hadn't given chase to stop him. He slowly counted to ten, straining his ears in the oppressive silence that revealed nothing. Sighing, he opened the door and stepped back out onto the cold cobbled streets.   
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~ 

  
  
  
  


Hisoka hated Florence with a passion. Everything offended his eye today – the grey skies, the chilly winds cutting into his face, the slippery road, the old buildings more drab and dull than Illumi's grandmother and the disapproving looks he received from the wealthy residents as he passed by, his trench coat a blemish in the fashion of the week. Even the empty can on the street pricked him like a thorn in the side. He negligently kicked it and the aluminium can bounced twice and rolled until it rested at the feet of a dirty beggar. 

"Hey Mister, can you spare a quid or two for the festive season?" 

Hisoka rolled his eyes and ignored him, continue to trample up the road wondering how he could release his pent-up anger and frustrations. No scrumptious dinner, no spa prepared, no naked Illumi lying in bed under warm sheets waiting for him. 

"Hey mister, you new to town? For a quid or two, I can take you to all the tourist attractions around here and recommend a good hotel to stay at." 

He stopped and pinned the man a flat look. "I happen live here." 

"Never seen your face before buddy. Come on, just two quid, and I take you to all the landmarks and tell ya a good place to eat that's nice and cheap." 

Hisoka shrugged off the man's hand whose fingernails were lined with dirt. "My partner and I live here. He owns the doll store just two streets away." 

"Ah…that young man with the black hair. Yes, I see him walk by everyday – by himself. It aint look like he's hooked. Look, we can start off at Garibaldi's Bay…"" 

"Take the money and stop pestering me." Hisoka dug into his pocket and threw some bills in the man's face, taking his chance to leave whilst the beggar hurriedly picked up the notes off the ground. 

The sky rumbled and a soft drizzle began to hit Hisoka's face. 

Stupid Florence and its stupid lousy weather. 

He made for shelter in Illumi's store. A happy customer had just walked out and Hisoka stepped in before the doors closed. One of the shop girls – Mindy – mistook him for a customer at first and was halfway into her customary bow before she recognized his gaunt face and striking red hair. She automatically dropped the act and greeted Hisoka with an ugly face, wrinkling her nose as if she had just caught a whiff of raw sewage. 

"Look who's finally decided to drop by," she drawled, venomously to her sister who was in the process of retrieving her sword. 

"It's so nice of you to come Master Hisoka." Linda flashed him a smile tainted by a sickly sugar sweetness. "I'm afraid you've arrived at a time where you can be of no use to anyone as all the work has already been done and we're about to pack up for the evening and go off holidaying for two weeks in the hot and warm Mediterranean." 

"You girls are taking a break?" 

Mindy rolled her eyes and turned her back to him, heading towards the counter to help her sister pack up and count the money. "He doesn't even know," she muttered, wrinkling her nose in disdain again. 

"You girls are leaving Illumi to run the store all by himself for the next fortnight!?" 

Linda looked him straight in the eye, her lips pressured into a flat line and her voice tight and restrained, "Master Hisoka, this store is closing down for two weeks and we would never leave Master Illumi to take care of this place after his most terrible illness last month." 

"Illumi was sick?" 

She fluttered her eyes innocently at him. "Why, not long after you selfishly left once again to pursue your own meaningless endeavours, Master Illumi caught a dreadful flu and had no one to look after him for an entire week. I'll bet he was in bed suffering from a high fever with no one to wipe his back or place a cold compress on his forehead. The poor dear." 

The magician was gone before Mindy could throw one more insult at the man.   
  
  


~*~*~*~*~ 

  
  
  
  


Hisoka stormed back down the street, ignoring the beggar who raised his hat in thanks. _Damn women and their natural knack for guilt trips_ he fumed, shouldering people who were too slow to get out of his way aside. 

He fitted the key into the front lock and gave it an angry sharp twist almost snapping the metal in the keyhole. 

Illumi was in the living room packing the last of the boxes with old proofs and designs to be stored in the basement. 

"Why didn't you call me when you were sick!" he demanded, kicking empty cartons out of the way to be nose-to-nose with Illumi. 

The assassin didn't even raise an eyebrow and resumed his packing. 

"Hey, don't ignore me! I'm talking to you!" 

Illumi sighed and stood straight again, expelling a weary breath. "I heard you the first time and if you _must_ have an answer, I didn't call because I thought you'd continue to pursue your prey anyway." 

"That's not true!" Hisoka immediately protested without realizing how much of an impertinent but remorseful child he sounded like right now. "I would have come straight back to look after you. Your two twins down at the store think I'm the most irresponsible and useless partner in the world! And that stupid little beggar just up the street says he's never seen me in Florence before! Ha! That's because he's drunk half the time and – " 

Hisoka broke off the diatribe on seeing that Illumi wasn't listening and had gone back to dumping bundle after bundle of paper into the cardboard boxes. 

"Illu – " he whined, bending down to help, passing him the folders which he refused to accept, vengefully swatting his help aside. Hisoka made a small noise of hurt and pity and retrieved the files, pushing them into Illumi's hands again. 

"I care Illu, I do, I swear." 

And still he said nothing.   
  
  


After the last of the boxes were locked down in the basement and the vacuum cleaner thereafter cleared most of the house of fabric scraps and thread ends, the living room was liveable once more. 

Hisoka propped up a cushion for Illumi and the latter slumped onto it and placed his feet on the footstool. The magician then took the kettle off the stove and had two steaming cups of hot chocolate made. Illumi took his share without a word of thanks but Hisoka didn't mind – at least his efforts weren't rebuked this time. 

"Want a massage?" 

"No thanks." 

He gave him one anyway and was pleased by the fact that Illumi was starting to loosen up under his touch. He knew that Illumi couldn't stay at him angry for long because only five minutes later, the assassin was in his arms responding to his kiss, however reluctantly he tried to make it out to be. 

"I got you a gift Illu," he announced and went to the kitchen bench where he had left his bag. Although tired, Illumi made an effort to sit up and almost snatched the bag away from him, dubiously rummaging inside. 

"You…got me a pair of socks." 

It was more of a statement than a question. It left unsaid 'I am very unhappy about this and I can be very creative about my unhappiness' whilst a general flat look of disappointment bored holes into the skull of a red haired magician. 

Hisoka feigned a hurt expression and sidled up to Illumi along the couch and took the offending article of clothing from him to hold up. 

"I think these are great. They're a practical and useful gift." 

"_It's got a hole big enough for my big toe to peek through!_" 

"Now now my dear Illumi, drawing out your pins won't magically change them into the six carat diamond ring that you were drooling over in that catalogue." 

Illumi felt compelled to call Hisoka a number of names – all of which would in turn make him look childish and immature and the red stain on his cheeks after his tirade would mar his pale features. He swallowed his anger and breathed in deeply, heading straight towards his bedroom. 

"Where are you going Illumi?" 

He turned around, gave a humourless smile indicated to the room where Hisoka's present was kept. "I'm going to start a big bonfire outside and burn what I had originally planned on giving you." 

The magician was instantly by his side, frantically jamming the door shut with a loud slam and even went so far as to press his back against it. 

Illumi raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?" 

"You're not going anywhere Illu to start any fires. Remember the promise? I would come home for Christmas this year and we would exchange gifts. You haven't given me mine yet." 

"Ah but my dear _cheap_ man, you knew I wanted that six carat pink diamond Cartier ring and I all I see are a pair of socks that don't even have an elastic in them to hold them up." 

"We never stipulated what presents we were going to give each other," Hisoka countered stubbornly and crossed his arms. 

The staring contest lasted well into its fifteenth minute before Illumi sighed and turned away. 

"I am tired Hisoka and I want to get an early rest. Get out of my way." 

"We also promised to enjoy the Christmas holidays _together_, if you've forgotten as well." 

The assassin frowned and he felt a snarl oncoming. "Not with a pair of socks that have been a rotweiller's plaything for the past two years we're not!" 

"You wound me so Illu!" Hisoka self-piteously buried his face into his hands, muffling his next words. "How can you abuse the work of art I made for you like that?" 

Illumi's eyes widened and the malevolence around him immediately dissipated. "You made?" 

The raven haired assassin was led back to the couch again and urged to sit whilst Hisoka retrieved the discarded socks on the carpeted floor and returned them into Illumi's hands again. 

"I knitted them myself!" he declared proudly, following up with his inane and idiotic smile which would either make Illumi laugh or stick pins into his head to wipe it off. 

"You mean you didn't pick this up in some second-hand store last night?" 

"Nope. I've got my knitting needles and some bits of wool left in my bag if you want to check." 

Illumi studied the uneven stitching and although one sock was bigger than the other and neither was the same colour as the other, something warm stirred inside his chest, sweetening his voice and tickled his lips into a small smile. 

"You're not lying right?" he tried to sound at least mildly annoyed, but it came out more like an acceptance of Hisoka's apology. 

He felt the magician's arms pulling him closer and Illumi looked away, embarrassed by the blush he knew was on his cheeks given how hot the room had suddenly become. 

"I started learning last week…but never seemed to be able to get the hang of it. But I think the socks turned out rather nicely, don't you think?" 

They studied the items in Illumi's hand – one sock was bigger than the other and it was clear that Hisoka couldn't find a ball of wool of the same blue hue thus one was discernibly brighter than the other. 

"If you've got so much time to learn how to knit Hisoka, you could stay here and accompany me you know. I could take two days off work and – " 

Hisoka placed a finger on his lips to hush him. "I'll make that my New Years resolution then: spend more time at home with Illumi." 

Illumi frowned. "I always wanted to ask – why do you go out for such long periods of time anyway?" 

"Oh, you know how it is," Hisoka shrugged, pouting slightly, "the prey, the chase, the excitement, the challenge. It's one great big package of fun." 

"The more challenging it is, the more fun, right?" 

Hisoka blinked, giving the question real thought. "I suppose so. Why do you ask?" 

"Oh…nothing. Come on, your present is in my room. Lets go get it." 

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Hisoka patiently waited whilst Illumi disappeared into the walk-in wardrobe and re-emerged with his gift wrapped in shiny gold paper. He rudely pushed the large Hisoka-plushie in the bed out of the way (the real one's here now buddy – move over!), making space for Illumi to sit beside him. 

"You unwrap it for me," he grinned, refusing to take it. Illumi didn't argue and went about removing each piece of sticky tape. 

Hisoka playfully leaned closer still, his hot breath searing Illumi's exposed neck, and looked forward to his present with a child's greediness. He gently worried Illumi's earlobe with his teeth, nagging the latter to hurry up. 

Plushies. Two of them hugging one red boxed gift tied with gold ribbon. 

Hisoka blinked at the doll that contained his splitting image and the other who possessed Illumi large and inquisitive eyes. 

"It looks like you want to hog that present all to yourself," he lightly commented. 

"I don't accept all gifts you know," Illumi replied quietly, looking at the floor. 

"Oh? And what would you want all to yourself to be tugging with such…viciousness?" the magician continued to joke, prodding the serious little face of the Illumi plushie. The assassin snatched it away from him, arousing a sudden protest that was quickly quelled as he realized that Illumi wasn't thinking of retracting the gift. 

Illumi pulled the red box away from the dolls, the velcro easily giving way and rearranged the positions. 

Plushie-Illumi had tightly wrapped his arms around plushie-Hisoka's neck and its face held a determination that it would never let go. 

Hisoka hugged Illumi tightly, imitating the dolls. 

He placed something cold into Illumi's hand and when Illumi looked down, the object's brilliance almost blinded him. 

"What the hell, I got you that damn ring. Now how many kisses am I going to get for that?" 

Illumi grinned, and with a small laugh, he pounced, pinning Hisoka onto the bed.   
  
  


~*~*~*~*~ 

  
  
  
  


Illumi always looked so pleasant in his sleep, not to mention after some very pleasurable activity. Hisoka drew the covers up around the bare shoulders lest his partner catch another cold and stared off into the dark night, brooding about that promise he'd made to Illumi. 

Adjusting in the change of lifestyle had been difficult, and he had originally discussed with Illumi that he would adjust move into the transition by gradually cutting back on the way he used to live. First he'd leave home for three months, then the next time it'd be two and a half, then two, then one, then maybe after a while, the urge to freely move around the world would be reduced to a quick visit of another country for no longer than three days. 

But his target had been fascinating this time and their battle not resolved. His target appeared relieved and Hisoka came home to find that his Illumi had been sick and up to his eyeball in work. Maybe he should stay at home and play some sort of responsible house wife who made sure the house was clean and that there was always plenty of food in the fridge. 

But did Illumi realize just how _boring_ that was? 

Hisoka sighed and began to worm back into the bedsheets, reserving the answer for his troubles to be solved another day. As he was about to lean down into his pillow however, a blue ribbon sticking out of the bedside table drawer caught his eye. 

Rolling over gently so as not to disturb Illumi's slumber, Hisoka slid the drawer open and found a small blue book with a letter compressed in between the pages. 

He eased the letter out and in the dim moonlight studied the spidery script.   
  


_From the Forbidden Palace of Greater Arcadia_

_Penned by his highness Emperor Rodimostev Alannis Kalinnan III on the day 25/11._

_Dear Illumi,_

_How have you been? It's almost been two years since I last met you and the Forbidden Palace hasn't suffered the tidal waves only you're capable of creating since. You know that tapestry you wove for me before you disappeared? I've got it framed and it's hanging above my throne. All my ministers are in awe of it and I'm thinking of submitting it to the United Nations either as a heritage treasure or the tenth world wonder. Really – it's _that_ good._

_Anyway, from all the buzz in my country, I hear it's 'Christmas'. Even though we don't believe the religious tripe behind the festive season, it's still a commercial festive nonetheless and an excuse to shower my friends with gifts._

_You know I don't have many friends right? I can't give presents to any of my Generals or they'll start to compare with each other about who got what and what are the hidden meanings behind them. Then other ministers will start to spin rumours and I'll have a civil war on my hands in no time. That, or I could hang anyone who so much as gossips, but I prefer not to kill anymore people than I have to these days._

_So you're the only person I could think of. I went into the Temple and spoke with Imrahldis. He's a bad influence on me and he's loving it. Thank goodness he has too much fun chasing after the ladies than trying to interfere with politics – gawd knows I don't need anymore trouble right now. But since he is your past life, I asked him what I should get for you and we spent some time discussing the alternatives._

_Ever heard of the man Finlay Durand Cardinal? No, I don't suppose you have, but he was a natural nen user, an Emperor during the Cardinal dynasty and his story is actually a popular play. In fact, his ability had been very interesting, and the moment I suggested this to Imrahldis, he couldn't stop laughing. He absolutely and utterly approved – despite the fact that I thought he would express caution and reserve, perhaps even an inkling of distaste. But I have now gathered that man lived to break tradition and the farther you strayed from normalcy, the more he'd love you. Hence his utter love for the idea of the gift which I have included._

_I would have just photocopied the necessary pages for you, but you see, that book is actually highly sensitive and classified information (although half of it has been immortalized in plays and operas anyway) but you know what a prune Echlan can be sometimes so I personally scribed this for you. Double checked six times to make sure I didn't get anything wrong, so you can be assured that all the information is correct._

_Well, I guess that's about it from me. Best of health and prosperity to you and your family for the upcoming year. I wish you all the happiness in the world._

_Rudy._

Hisoka swallowed a gulp and his trembling fingers flipped to the title page of the blue covered bound book. Anything that Imrahldis approved of couldn't be good. His eyes widened to the size of tennis balls when he saw the words: 

**The power of CREATION – how two men _can_ have children.***

Hisoka got no sleep that night.   
  


The end 

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* I actually made reference to this power in Chapter 15.5 of Untitled.   
  
  
  



	2. Chapter I: Two lost children

**Untitled – Sequel**   
By Yomi 

**Chapter 1**

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Everything is still a bit tentative with this project so I'm posting up another two chapters to see what everyone thinks. The original Untitled is still undergoing re-editing but I can assure you that there will be no major changes such that this sequel will be difficult to comprehend. 

So without further ado, please tell me whether you think the sequel is plausible (or likeable). The problem with sequels is that the author is perceived as never wanting the story to end and that the fanfic will drag on and on. I can only do my best to avoid that sort of impression with the sequel here.   


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**Summary: **After the major defeat of the Nihilists at the Forbidden Palace in Greater Arcadia, the scattered remnants of the organization regroup and make a final bid to unlock the secret behind the natural nen user. Three years on, they have found the perfect test subjects and are about to discover a major breakthrough but they also realize that they have attracted the unwanted attention of certain people. 

**Features: **Hisoka x Illumi and a handful of original characters in minor roles. 

**Disclaimer:** Hunter x Hunter is copyrighted by Yoshihiro Togashi, Shounen Jump Weekly, Shueisha and Nippon Animation (thanks for the info Cherrie!) 

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**Chapter I – Two lost children**

Kikyou irritably brushed the dewy rain drops from her shoulders, grimacing at the fact that her favourite shirt was near saturated and her shoes almost ruined. Compounding to her discomfort was her wet hair, plastered to her face and rainwater dripping into her eyes. 

"Lousy weather!" she fumed, silently glaring at Silva who was methodically wringing water out of his long mane of hair. "We should have taken a private coach! That way, we'd be halfway to Florence by now, instead of stuck in this backwater countryside with muddy tracks and this run-down shack that tries to pass itself off as a motel. The blankets will have fleas!" 

"Kikyou," Silva replied, using a tone of incredible patience that he had labouriously perfected over the years, knowing that it would drive his wife crazy, "it's just water, not poison and will not kill you. And fleas can't kill you either." 

She threw her hands up in the air and stormed out of the room they have rented for the evening, floorboards creaking on cue behind her. The door slammed shut, bringing down a handful of dust and Silva warily studied the ceiling, wondering if the beams and supports would collapse in the storm and fall on him at night. 

The dining area was in near disrepair: corners of the carpet curled up unsightly, revealing families of silver fish beneath and the wall paper was grimy and peeling away with large holes hastily patched up by newspapers. How on earth did she end up in this miserable country town? 

She headed straight towards the fireplace and thrust her hands forward to ward off the chill threatening to seep into her bones. Her fingers flexed accordingly to start up the blood circulation and Kikyou noted she was standing close enough to the fire to feel her clothes drying off. 

"Just how hard is it to get to Florence? If it wasn't for the lousy weather, we'd take the blimp and if there were more people in this ghost town, we'd even go there by horse coach. Anything better than to walk! Gah! All this because I had to personally pick up a gift for my niece!" 

Her shoes, tattered almost beyond repair from all the walking they had to do ever since the engine of their private car decided to shrivel up and die and Silva had no bloody clue how to fix it, were flung into the fire. Kikyou watched in relish as the fire flared brighter for a moment, consuming the footwear. There was another pair of shoes in her luggage, another pair not catered to walking and if Silva expected her to walk for the rest of the way, even if her feet would suffer, she'd make sure his ears would share a similar fate.   
  
  
  


"Kimmy, did you hear the lady say she was going to Florence?" a young boy whispered, although there was a tremor in his voice and moisture welling up in his eyes which indicated that he would burst into tears at any moment now. 

"Yeah, I heard," the young girl replied to the boy, clenching onto the sides of her dirt riddled dress. Unlike the boy, she gritted her teeth and fixed the stranger with a gaze of mistrust. "You think she's a nice lady?" 

The young boy made a sullen noise and shifted closer to the young girl, his small chubby fingers worming their way into the palm of her hand. He gave the hand a tight squeeze although his arm was shaking. 

"She's ok Kimmy, but I think she's kind of angry right now." 

"I'm trusting you on this brother." 

His hand on her clenched harder, a single tear escaped and he was shuddering almost violently. 

"It's not like we have a choice anyway. I want to go home to mama and dada." 

Kim mimicked what her father usually did and puffed up her small chest and set her mouth into a harsh and unforgiving line. Unbeknownst to her, it just made her look like a grumpy little girl with overly red cheeks, but for now, she had to feel brave for the both of them. Her brother shuddered some more. 

"Not like that Kimmy, adults don't like you looking like that. They won't believe you." 

She scowled. "Ok Hal, you be in charge for once. You're the bigger brother." 

Hal fiercely rubbed his eyes until the flesh around the eyes were a bright pink. He bit his trembling lip but managed a firm nod. 

"You have to cry and I'll talk to the lady." 

"But I don't feel like crying! I'm not you!" 

"Big brothers look after their younger sisters. Not the other way around. So pretend you're upset." 

Kimmy pinched herself on the arm until tears sprang into her eyes and she savoured the feeling. "And you," she sniffed, "should stick out your chest a bit more. Like the way dada does." 

Hal frowned and said in even softer tones, "But people are afraid when dada sticks out his chest. No, I want to do it my way. Mama always told us to be polite to strangers. You're never polite. Let me do this."   
  


Kikyou felt something tugging at the corner of her skirt and wondered what stray mutt had decided to latch itself onto her and sink its rotting teeth into her priceless silks. She yanked her skirt back and a growl rumbled in the base of her throat. 

"Stupid mutt! Shoo – " 

The sight of two forlorn and wretched looking children, with their big puppy dog eyes filled with tears and pity, put a stopper on Kikyou's temper. The toddlers had to be no older than three, in their ripped clothes, torn especially at the sides, and the boy's particularly defeated expression. 

"Children! Is something the problem?" 

The young boy sniffed, wrenching her heart with pity. "Are you going to Florence ma'am?" 

And a delightfully polite boy to boot as well! She tentatively reached over to brush the stray strands of fringe from prickling his astonishingly clear docile grey eyes and almost wanted to claim the colours for herself. 

"I am," she finally managed, "I am. What's the matter?" 

"We want to go home but we don't know how to get there. Could you please take us with you?" 

"Mama can pay!" the younger girl loudly exclaimed, coming out of her diminutive and vulnerable shell of helplessness without realizing it. Her brother swallowed an uprising horror and he broke out into cold sweat whilst his sister heatedly went on: "Mama will pay you for the travel fees. I promise you she can!" 

"Hold on, hold on. We're half a country away from Florence. How did you two end up here?" 

The boy's head dipped low and he fought not to cry. "We got separated." 

"Kikyou, what are you doing?" 

All three almost jumped from the undetected presence of Silva. The silver haired man gave the children a severe gaze, not moved by what he thought to be a deceptive appearance of meekness and he was especially unnerved by the way the girl looked like she was faking her tears. When his glare lingered on her longer than was necessary, she caught his suspiciousness and she willed her tears to flow more generously. 

"Oh Silva! Even Mike's terrified of that look!" Kikyou herded the toddlers into her arms, shying them away from her husband's interrogatory glare. "These children just want to go home to their mama and papa, isn't that right?" 

Silva watched on in disbelief as his wife cooed over the two kids, kissing and cuddling them like her own grandchildren. Animals sometimes suffered from phantom pregnancies; his wife suffered from phantom grandmother-hood ever since Illumi disappeared off the face of the earth, presumably with his male lover. 

Although she tried not to let it show, but somewhere in her heart, Kikyou discovered a new emptiness, a void that could not be refilled ever since their eldest son departed without a word, vowing most likely to never return. The quiet and obedient Illumi had pulled off the most masterful deceit, surpassing Killua. He was able to sustain a relationship with another man for eight years, right under their very noses, without them ever suspecting until it was too old to tighten the leash to rein him back in again. 

Illumi was too old, too cunning, too manipulative now. And the man had managed to hide it all away from them. Coupled with the fact that he had Kalinnan blood and was a natural nen user, a god amongst mortals, by all rights he should have been rightly named the Zoldick heir. 

Had he stayed at Kukuru mountain, he would be twenty seven this year and Kikyou would have found him a good, strong wife and there'd be at least three children running around the tunnels of Mount Kukuru. Kikyou would spend most of the day chasing after her grandchildren, playing hide and seek with them or ordering them back into their cells to receive their training. Kukuru mountain would have been a livelier place. 

"Kikyou," he said, rubbing the sides of his temples, "those two are _not_ your grandchildren. And we don't run charities." Or, the small voice at the back of his head continued, you'll grow attached to them and the Zoldicks will be branded as kidnappers instead of assassins. 

"Such a nasty old scrooge isn't he? Don't worry children, aunt Kikyou has plenty of money. We can go out and see if there is a place in this dump where we buy you some new clothes and then I'll treat both of you to hot chocolate!" 

She pretended that she didn't hear Silva's groan with unparalleled brilliance. Her other hand reached out to stroke the young girl's cheeks, puffy from all the crying. It was not until then that she realized what beautiful ivory white skin she had, and how big her coal black eyes were. 

"So children, tell aunty Kikyou what your names are." 

"My name is Haldier, but mama and dada call me Hal." 

"Kim." 

Silva balked, and Kikyou likewise. Her trembling hands slowly moved forward and cupped both her cheeks, then one hand ran through short raven coloured hair, just long enough to bring forward to her lips so her teeth could worry on them, as she did now. 

How on earth did she not see the appalling familiarity in this face? 

Throat constricted by emotion, Kikyou was only able to mutter: "What a very appropriate name." 

* * *

**Author's Note******

I'm going back to my older style of shorter chapters. I'm also consciously trying to improve on the economy of the language. My other fanfic: Definition of our Existence will be the next fic to suffer the new style changes (if I can bring about any. It might take a while to improve on this, but I'm trying). I'm going to keep my chapters less than 5000 words, use more economic and effective language and learn to push the plot along a bit more. I think everyone will welcome these changes. 


	3. Chapter II: A suicidal man

**Untitled – Sequel**   
By Yomi 

**Chapter 2**

* * *

  
**Summary: **After the major defeat of the Nihilists at the Forbidden Palace in Greater Arcadia, the scattered remnants of the organization regroup and make a final bid to unlock the secret behind the natural nen user. Three years on, they have found the perfect test subjects and are about to discover a major breakthrough but they also realize that they have attracted the unwanted attention of certain people. 

**Features: **Hisoka x Illumi and a handful of original characters in minor roles. 

**Disclaimer:** Hunter x Hunter is copyrighted by Yoshihiro Togashi, Shounen Jump Weekly, Shueisha and Nippon Animation   


* * *

**Chapter 2 - A Suicidal Man**

Today had been no different to any other day. The brick paved roads, slippery from the grey morning's drizzle, would dry off and chaff the road with dust in the afternoon. Dignified gentlemen with monocles walked the streets like they owned it (and they probably did), their walking sticks falling with staccato clarity on tapping the ground. Ladies in balloon gowns with twirling parasols elegantly sat down on intricately wrought cast iron seats lacquered with white paint in the pavilion in the public park. Their high pitched laughs and low, hushed gossips chased away the birds. In the late morning with the sun almost at its peak, the ladies sipped tea and crumbled cake between their dainty, pointed fingers. 

"Hey, yo-hoo young man! The handsome one with the marvelous white hair! Care to join us for brunch?" 

Killua shuddered and hastened to avert his gaze, keeping his eyes steadily on the ground in front of him and even quickened his pace. 

"Have women in these parts of the world no shame?" he hissed to Gon, who was half walking half jogging beside him. 

Gon allowed himself a brief glimpse of the women in the pavilion. There was a woman with particularly heavy makeup who was still looking at them and caught his gaze, wiggling her gloved fingers in response and making more cooing noises. He broke into cold sweat. 

"Killua, you don't suppose they've got nets with them right?" 

"If they do, I'm running for the hills and not looking back until I'm in the next country. This is such a freaky city. I wonder how big brother can stand living here." 

"Have you told your parents?" 

"Hell no, and you watch your mouth and think about each word before you speak. You so much as even _hint_ that Illumi lives around here to my parents and I will sock you until you see the stars of the Milky Way!" 

Gon laughed out loud in genuine amusement. "I've been with you for four years Killua! Don't think I haven't picked up any of your habits." 

Killua rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Whatever you like to think Gon, whatever." 

"Any idea why your parents aren't here yet? They should have met us at the hotel yesterday morning." 

"I heard dad say something about how they got caught up by weather," Killua said, kicking up some gravel, taking slight relish in disturbing the road well paved by gardeners. "So they might be two or three days late getting here. This is all such a bother. Why can't we just meet in Arcadia and have to rendezvous here beforehand?" 

Gon laid a hand on his shoulder but it was shrugged off. "Your parents just want to be able to spend a bit more time with you. It's only natural. Your mum is going to buy a painting here for your cousin. What about you Killua? You haven't bought anything for them yet." 

"My presence is present enough," he said gruffly. 

His friend didn't look convinced. "I swear your ego is growing day by day. What makes you think your company is so desirable?" 

Killua grit his teeth and had no answer. He settled for walking at an even faster pace, heading for anywhere. He had pulled Gon out of the hotel immediately after breakfast this morning just to get away from the hateful and snobbish looks everyone on the streets had been giving them, apart from those brazen, giggling women in the pavilion of course. Were you really considered a circus freak if you didn't wear a three piece suit and tie around here? 

Gon's interested was suddenly perked up by a faint, but distinct sound of sobbing. He took off into the denser parts of the park before Killua could even open his mouth to say "wha", concerned to locate the source of the distress. 

Small branches left shallow cuts in Gon's cheeks as he made his mad dash and vines of weeds and brambles were ripped from the ground by the stampeding feet. Deeper and deeper into the park, into the darker, desolate and less frequented areas Gon went. He finally came to a stop when he caught a glimpse of a tall, gangly figure throw a white sash over a taller branch and made a secure knot. The shadowy figure proceeded to lift itself off the ground and hook the knotted sash beneath his chin. 

Killua raced past his stationary buddy shouting "Oh shit!" and scooped up the nearest rock, hurling it with deadly accuracy to sever the cloth. 

The figure, taken by surprise, gracelessly crashed to the ground and was pinned to the ground by Gon whilst Killua took what remained of the fabric and tied the man's hands behind his back to prevent further acts of stupidity. 

The man had short blonde hair hastily gelled back. It was the body of a man in his late twenties or early thirties and he made no move to struggle as the teenagers secured his hands and vehemently scolded him for the attempted suicide. 

But he heard nothing and didn't want to hear anything. He only wanted to wallow in his misery, caused from an inevitable and inescapable doom. Death was sweet and tempting. He sobbed into the earth and wished he could die. It really was his fault, but he had no way to rectify the problem and the only way to absolve his guilt was by death. 

The teenagers rolled him over onto his back and nearly wet their pants. 

"Oh….my…..gawd!" 

Gon was shocked to the point that words escaped him. His legs felt weak and blood rushed to his face like ticklish pinpricks. His eyes were deceiving him – that was the only possible explanation that his brain could accept. Anything else and he would have to find a dark place, ball up into fetal position, suck on his thumb and cry for mama. 

In fact, he was trying very hard not to cry for mama just as things were. 

"My gawd!" Killua prodded the unresponsive adult with the toe of his foot, "Hisoka! What…has happened to you?!" 

The clown did not register those words. His piteous sobbing continued for several more moments before he swallowed and formed some coherent words. 

"Please, just let me die." 

"What the hell has happened!" 

"I….I…." he deteriorated into more crying and Gon turned his head from side to side, looking for that dark place. 

Killua however, would have none of this anymore. He kicked Hisoka into a sitting position and savagely slapped the man until he get a proper sentence from him which didn't involve the word "die". As far as he was concerned, no one was going to die for no good reason. 

"I lost my kids! I can't go back and face Illumi!" 

"Lost your kids? You have kids? What? And when was this?" 

Hisoka blankly clapped his hands to his ears and shook his head, muttering, "Too many questions, too many questions. Let me – " 

Killua thwacked him solid across the face before he could utter the 'd' word. "Answer it, or I start making presumptions. I'm going to presume you have kids then – when did you _lose _them?" 

"Ten…ten days ago." 

"How did you lose them?" 

And this was where Hisoka buried his face in his hands and continued his womanly, broken-hearted sobbing. Killua pulled those hands away and slapped some more sense into him. 

"I. Said. How. Did. You. Lose. Them?" Each word was accompanied by a ringing slap to either side of the cheek. 

Hisoka finally managed to stifle enough of his sobbings to speak again, but it wasn't exactly what either of the boys had wanted to hear. "It's not fair!" he complained. "Everyone's bullying me. You are just like your brother. You slap me at your convenience and push me around like I'm some insubordinate! I'm human! I have feelings too! AND I HAVE FAILINGS, YES! I AM NOT A PERFECT DAD!" 

Gon decided that the shade of a tree was dark enough and settled down, bringing his knees up to his chest and began to lay down on his side. 

"Quit what you're doing, Gon!" Killua snapped at him, baring his fangs, then swung his glare back at Hisoka and snarled, "HOW did you lose your children?" 

"I don't know, I don't know! They were with me and then they were not there any more!" 

"Does big brother know about this?" 

Hisoka sadly shook his head and disinterestedly studied the moss carpeted floor. "No. I told him I took the kids camping. But then last night, it hit me that I couldn't take the kids camping forever." 

Killua stared at him for a long time and Gon closed his eyes and sucked on his thumb, thinking of his most pleasant memories to wash away the criminal stain of the scene before him. Finally, Killua broke out of his stupor and gave Hisoka a brusque nod. 

"All right. Up on the tree, back you go now, you deserve to die." 

Hisoka blinked. "Wha?" 

"You heard me. You're a damn irresponsible father and you're not fit to have kids. You've lost your children and you've lied to your partner about it. Death for you is the way to go." 

The magician was totally appalled by the pale haired assassin's utter lack of compassion and sympathy and refused to budge even though Killua was trying to lynch him. 

"You're…..you're not going to help me?" 

"No. If you won't help yourself, I'm not even going to bother." 

Hisoka shrugged off Killua's restraining hands. "You don't think I want to find them? _They just disappeared from under my nose!"_

"Have you checked their usual hiding places?" 

"They don't have their usual hiding places. They are good and obedient children, unlike you," Hisoka deliberately added the last part and put a sneer on the relish. Killua's knuckles audibly cracked by he remained rooted to his position and bottled the anger. 

"Where were you when you kids were gone?" 

"I was just taking them out to the market. Big crowd but my kids never stray." The magician clenched two fistfuls of blonde hair and tugged sharply, hoping to jog his memory from the stinging pains. "They never stray. Good kids. And then they were gone." 

"Big bro needs to be informed about this Hisoka. You need help – on many levels, half of which I don't even want to know about." 

"Illumi's not going to listen to me explain. He's going to interrogate me like what you just did and then he'll kill me. I'd rather end it myself." 

Killua sighed and hauled Gon from his fetal position to his feet. "Don't worry. We'll help you talk some sense into big brother if that's what it's going to take to get him to calm down. The priority is to find your children. Find your children. Not end your life." 

"Easy for you to talk. Just wait till you get to my place….then I'll show you what the devil really looks like." 

"You mean….you're not the devil enough?" 

He older man merely gave him a patronizing sigh. "That's what I used to think as well.   
  
  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   


  


Kikyou was not going to give up the children; he could see that in her eyes already. She fussed over the girl's hair and told him to let the young boy latch onto him, giving him her patented glare of "you-dare-defy-my-will-and-I-whip-your-arse" at his slightest protest. He hefted the young boy in his arms and gave her his most disparaging expression. 

"Why do I have to carry him?" 

She smiled sweetly. "Why not Silva?" 

He shifted uncomfortably, making sure the child didn't awake. Haldier had a way of clinging to adults. His favourite position was to lock his arms around your neck and rest his cheek on your shoulder or in the crook between your neck and your collarbone. And then he'd remain quiet for hours on end, the only sound being his light, shallow breathing. How many hours did this child need to sleep? 

"Kikyou," he whispered, "he's unnatural. He doesn't move. He just…clings to me." 

"Aww Silva, he's just being a child." She reached up to pinch the boy's cheek. "He's so adorable. Here, give him to me. You hold Kim's hand." 

Kim, the other girl, sunk into a grouch whenever Kikyou was not looking and Silva wanted to say, "I don't want to hold her hand either," but muted it. Holding the hand was more preferable. 

"I don't want to hold his hand," Kim complained for him. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least she disliked him as much as he did. 

He wondered why she didn't like him. Her large coal black eyes would narrow and her lips pucker into a snarl if he so much as glanced at her. Not that he was going to suffer her insolence. His intimidating glare of murder made her go teary eyed and she bit her lip until it almost bled, so determined was she not to cry aloud. It wasn't what you'd call a happy victory – imagine the infamous Silva Zoldick using his killer stare on a three year old child. 

"A word with you outside!" He coldly eyed her and jerked his thumb towards the corridor. He followed her tiny form and slammed the door shut behind him. 

Kim crossed her arms and refused to look at him, tapping her new shoes impatiently on the floor. 

"Now you listen to me young lady! You will look at me when I speak to you!" he demanded 

She reluctantly turned her gaze onto his face and sulked even more. 

"I don't know what I did to deserve this, but I don't like you and you're pissing me off. There's something wrong with your brother and there's something wrong with you as well. Your brother is weird and you aren't half as scared as you make yourself out to be." 

"Don't talk about Hal like that!" she screamed, launching a swift kick to his shin. 

He easily stepped to one side and she looked very surprised. She studied him up and down with impossibly huge eyes and the lines of grouch on her forehead melted away and she instantly humbled. Silva smirked. 

"That kick was slower than a sloth. I could still dodge it in my sleep." 

Kim held great respect for him after that and there was not a drop of sulk in her any more. In fact, she thereafter grabbed a fistful of his trouser leg and attached herself to him, following him wherever he went. 

"I'm so glad you got your little problem sorted out," Kikyou said and pecked him on the cheek as she came out of the bedroom, her carry bags slung on her arm whilst the other supported Hal. Silva sighed. 

"Here, I'll carry him." 

He resisted cold sweat and shivering and allowed the sleepy child to latch onto him whilst he kept an eye on the girl by his side. 

"Off to the airport! Finally, we get to leave this stinking dump behind!" Kikyou announced, bending over to pinch Kim's cheek as well, a familiar act which she smiled at. She even giggled. 

"Mama does that all the time," she said, almost shyly, almost and even had the decency to blush a little and hide behind Silva's leg. 

"So Kimmy, did you have a good sleep last night?" 

She puffed her chest with pride. "I can sleep anywhere!" she boasted. 

"Haldier must have slept poorly then," Kikyou observed 

"Don't mind Hal. He does it all the time," she said, half panting, trying to keep up with the adults on her short legs. 

"All the time?" Silva echoed. 

"He's a softie and wants hugs and kisses all the time. Say Uncle Silva, are you a fighter?" 

"Yeah, you know, people come to you and say:," she lowered her voice considerably, "'you and me, outside, now!' That sort of thing?" 

Kikyou laughed. Silva smirked. 

"My dada is a fighter too. We get all these strangers coming over all the time." 

Silva's smirk grew wider. "Is your dada a good fighter?" 

"You bet!" she half leapt up in the air with enthusiasm. "He always kicks ass. But he's afraid of mama though! Mama only has to look at him and dada never argues back." 

I know exactly how he feels, Silva mused, hiding his grin. The kid wasn't so bad after all. 

"And dada taught me several moves already. Watch this!" 

She threw several punches then finished off with a feeble kick. 

"Not bad," Silva commented. "Your technique is not bad at all, but you could work on your strength." 

Kim positively beamed and broke off into a series of childish acrobatic antics around the adults, the big smile never leaving her face. 

"Come on, settle down now and hop into the taxi. Finally, enough civilization to produce a cab!" Kikyou ushered the hyperactive young girl into the back seat and made sure Silva didn't bang his head as he hopped in with the child still clinging to his neck. Kikyou herself took the front seat and curtly ordered the driver to take them to the airport. 

And all this time, Haldier remained silent, listening to the conversations around him. The white haired man had a comforting scent and lulled him back into a deeper sleep and more wonderful dreams of the past, present and future. 

He felt the warm body shiver beneath him and sighed, letting his eyes droop and eventually settle into slumber. 

His dream was not as pleasant as his other ones. He saw fire, heard screams and cries of loss. 

Haldier awoke screaming like there was no tomorrow in the blimp and cried for hours afterwards despite Kikyou and Silva's best efforts to cheer him up. 


	4. Chapter III: Busted

Untitled – Sequel Chapter 3

Authors notes: I've decided to take a small break from writing the last chapter of The Definition of our Existence Book I. I wanted a change to something less serious, more warm and fuzzy and lighthearted, so I wrote this chapter today. For any of those still hankering for the update, I offer my sincerest apologies for taking so long to update and I hope that this chapter meets your expectations

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Hunter x Hunter.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Busted**

A modest two storey brick home, with weather beaten ivy clinging to its north face, was Illumi and Hisoka's home in Florence. Neither of them being adept gardeners had hired a local to attend to their front yard, and so the lawn was well cut, the edges trimmed and the flowers of the season lined the path to the front door. At first glance, it was a picturesque and comely home that was well maintained and the sounds of children's silver laughter were never far from one's ears. But as Killua and Gon discovered, if you activated your gyo, you could see that the house was concealed behind two force fields, opaque and shimmering as it was hidden by in, as well as two intimidating guards at the front door, armed with functional halberds.

"An impregnable fortress," Killua breathed out the words in awe.

"You can never really rid yourself of an assassin's paranoia, can you?" Hisoka dryly commented, ushering the kids along towards the house, stopping just a bare foot from the first forcefield. "If you bear no ill will in your aura, you will pass unharmed."

Gon gulped. "Otherwise?"

Hisoka gave him a pitying look. "You become human french fry."

Gon gulped again and took one step back.

"And what about those guys?" Killua gestured, with a tinge of hysteria in his voice, to the impassive-faced guards who stood at attention immediately on hearing the magician's voice. Their ghostly nen hands gripped around the halberd's handle and the sensation that Killua first received from the apathetic nen defence suddenly became uncomfortable and tense. It reminded him of the time when he was still clueless about nen and his brother, by his mysterious magic, had instilled the fear of gawd in him and reduced him into a stuttering coward. Whatever illusions of change he anticipated of his brother were immediately dashed into a thousand irrecoverable pieces against the proverbial rock that all dreams and expectations are broken agaist.

Hisoka and Illumi, using whatever wonderful and terrible science, had managed to produce two children, but it looked like that didn't equate to a drastic alteration of his brother's infamous icy and unapproachable character.

"So children, no ill will, no intentions to harm your brother and you just want to come in and say hello."

The two teenagers could only mechanically nod their heads and lifted their foot, steeling their will against the arbitrary wall of death. Maybe, just maybe, Hisoka was right about the devil living insider after all.

* * *

He caught her sombre expression, a look peculiar to a child of her age, directed at her sleeping brother, who was sleeping in Kikyou's arms. His head rested in the crook between her neck and shoulders and as Kikyou walked, his head would loll from side to side, limp like a lifeless doll. 

"You think he does it for attention?"

She pouted and fiercely shook her head. "There are plenty of other ways to get attention. Giving myself nightmares is the last thing I'd do."

"Does your brother have these sorts of dreams all the time?"

Kim kicked up some of the gravel on the road with her new shiny black shoes, and her frown sunk to greater depths. "Only once in a while."

"Sorry Kimmy," her brother croaked. Hours earlier, he had screamed until his vocal chords were raw and Hal only stopped because the pain was too much to bear. His docile grey eyes were mournful and filled with sadness as his gaze lingered on his sister's sulking expression.

"You have nothing to be sorry about. I'm just angry because I can't do anything to help. If anyone ever bullies you, Hal, I'll beat them up for you. I'll hunt down whoever hurts you, even if I have to go to the ends of this universe. But I can't beat up those bad dreams you have and tell them to stay away from you. I feel useless."

Silva bent down and scooped up the bitter little girl into his arms, sighing as he did so. "Kim, your brother has to learn to stand up for himself. He's the bigger brother you know. At this rate, people are going to start thinking you're the bigger sister."

"I don't care what people think," she fumed, writhing in Silva's arms. The older man grimaced and tenaciously held onto the struggling child. His wife turned around and glared at the pair of them, then snapped and warned them not to muck about on the busy streets of Florence.

"It's not my fault," the protest escaped past Silva's lips and he instantly regretted it as the long black skirt of his wife swivelled to a stop and she spun around and bore down on them like a vengeful thunder god. Meanwhile, standing from the side lines observing, Hal gave a small smile and Kim giggled out loud as Aunty Kikyou sought to bap the living daylights out of Uncky Silva using her handbag whilst the older man could only duck and cringe.

"Kind of reminds me of mama and dada," Kim said to her brother. Hand in hand, they jubilantly walked away from the scene, the roads of Florence as familiar to them as the lines on the palm of their hand.

"Children! Wait for Aunty Kikyou!"

* * *

Originally, the plan had been that Killua and Gon would plead on Hisoka's behalf and if all went well, the magician's life would be spared. What automatically went wrong however, was a miscalculation on their behalf of Illumi's capacity to react and explode like Kikyou Zoldick. 

Their entry at first created genuine surprised. Illumi was dressing up the final touches on a young lady's eighteenth birthday dress when the door opened and Hisoka entered with not his two adorable children, but two teenagers who'd just been strip searched by the nen guards at the door – standard procedure you see. They were lucky that Hisoka was able to bargain with them and prevent the other, more probing, cavity search.

"How was camping? Hungry? Take a shower first and I'll – "

After that friendly opening, everything pretty much shot to hell. Killua and Gon were not Illumi's young, obedient children. Seeing that they weren't hiding behind Hisoka's legs, nor were cradled in his arms sent his alarm bells ringing. Two questions, piercingly delivered, later and the truth was uttered.

"You _lost_ them?"

"Please Illu, listen to me – "

"You _lost_ them and told me you took them _camping!"_

The rumbling sound of thunder reverberated around the cosy living and the afternoon sunshine was swallowed by darkness along with all the furniture until nothing but pitch black remained. Unaccustomed to such temperamental shifts in weather, especially indoors, Killua and Gon found their backs firmly pressed against what they believed to be the wall, and their scheme to put in a good word for Hisoka clogged in their throats.

Illumi's booming voice made their knees knock and Gon sniffed in despair, wondering where the exit was.

"_Camping you said! CAMPING?!"_

"I couldn't help it Illu. I knew you'd respond like this! You won't let me explain!"

"_Explain your incompetence? You think I'm interested?!"_

The magician was close to tears. His world had been consumed by utter darkness and the exists were lost to him. Despair was overwhelming and Illumi's resounding words of accusation ripped away the last of his defiance. Hisoka was folding – it was inevitable, and soon, he would be nothing but another squashed bug trodden beneath Illumi's foot.

Hisoka's fate was rewritten when the doorbell chimed and reached out to him like a slender lasso pulling him from the sea of his doom. Illumi looked surprised, but not enough to erase the murder written on his face. He shouldered Hisoka out of the way and stalked to the door, not deigning to give his cowering brother and his friend a glance.

The front door was flung open and white sunlight washed into the room, scouring away the last of the shadows clinging to the corners. There were two very familiar faces.

"Mama! Dada!" Killua heard two high pitched voices chirrup like a pair of sparrows in spring. Beside him, Gon blinked like an owl in daylight as light returned to his vision and everything was normal again and day was day.

"Oh gawds, Hal, Kimmy, you're safe!" Illumi knelt down and tightly hugged his children. He kicked the door shut and set the kids down, eyeing them all over for any injuries and sores.

Kim soon struggled out of Illumi's embrace and fervently searched for her father. Hisoka stood only a few steps away but in silence as he watched in disbelief at the miraculous return of his missing children.

His little girl was tugging at his pants, demanding to be picked up.

"Where the hell did you two go?"

* * *

"Well Silva, there go the children. I think I will miss them." 

Silva was gingerly fingering the bruise on his jaw, created when the gold buckle on Kikyou's handbag collided with his head at over a speed of three hundred kilometers an hour. His wife was staring, teary eyed, at the plain residence that the children had ran towards and subsequently disappeared into. If he was honest with himself, he would admit that he did feel a degree of loss. Hal was quiet and pensive, disinclined to speaking unless it was absolutely necessary or unless he was on ultra friendly terms with you. By the beginning of the third day, he had begun to warm to Kikyou and initiated a few more conversations. Kim on the other hand was exuberant, a touch reckless and not afraid to speak her mind. In the three days that she was with him, he had already learnt to watch out for her signs of terrible sulking and was ready to either stand her down with his fearsome stare or to vacate and leave his wife to pick up the pieces of her tantrum. Kim's movements also evinced signs of rigorous physical training – it did not slip past Silva's mind that both Hal and Kim moved with an adult's control and grace for their age, reminding him of Killua's earlier years. Both children had hinted at their father being a fighter of sorts who constantly attracted challengers to his home. It was no surprise that Kim's punches were not amateurish and Hal's had the ability to move without detection.

"What's that on your jumper, dear?"

Silva glanced down at his shoulder and found something gold and twinkling hooked onto the rough fibres of his woolen sweater. It was a small charm of a pair of crossed swords that must have come off Kim's bracelet. He held out the delicate object to Kikyou.

"Yes…I should return it, shouldn't I?"

"A good excuse to say goodbye once more. Come on Kikyou, they're not our grandchildren, you can't keep them."

"She'll grow up to be as pretty as my sister. And imagine the coincidence with her name! Kim."

Silva sighed and took her hand, leading her to the house.

* * *

Illumi was kicking Hisoka away from reuniting with his children, yelling that he had no right to ever touch them again. 

"Irresponsible, lying little man! You're not fit to have kids – "

"Ah, aniki, I told him all that already."

Illumi pursed his lips together and swallowed the rest of his lecture. His severe gaze swung towards the door for the second time today when the bell chimed again and he grumpily marched towards the entrance.

"What do you want?" he growled as he pulled the door open, displeasure painted across his face with unmistakable vividness. Then all colour drained from his features and he sought to slam the door shut, only that a strong hand stopped it in midway and fought to have it opened again.

"ILLUMI! IS THAT YOU!"

Illumi turned to Hisoka, lips quivering and eyes wide. "Take the children and run. Our hideout's been sprung!"


End file.
